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Amnchara	By : QueenB Category: Angel the Series > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2441 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Angel: The Series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Email: queenboadiceaoftheiceni@yahoo.com
Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for seasons two and three
Disclaimer: This belongs to Joss Whedon and the usual gang of idi...uh, geniuses
Feedback: Do your worst—it can’t compare to my worst ;)
Thoughts are shown in italics.

The middle-aged woman sat in his office, anxiously twisting a handkerchief in her worn hands. Idly, Angel wondered who carried pocket-handkerchiefs in this day age age. But outwardly he kept his face impassive, listening to her story.
“Dora is a good girl. You understand that, Mr. Angel? She’s not the type to go gallivanting off. She goes to school regular not like some of these kids who pretend to go schooling and take off and does god-knows-what while their parents stay at home ignorant of what they’re about. My Dora, she knows the value of a good education.” She blinked and glared up at Angel through bleary, reddened eyes as if he’d accused her of being a poor mother.
“I understand, Mrs. Crabtree. You say you haven’t noticed any new friends of Dora’s hanging around the house? Any boyfriends?”
“No! If Dora had been seeing anybody, she woulda told me. I’m her mother. We’ve always been close. She wouldn’t keep something like that from me,” the agitated woman insisted. “She hasn’t been seeing any boys. I told you, she’s a good girl.”
In his time, Angelus had known many “good” girls who were all too willing to give up their virginity and keep perfectly mum about it to their mothers no matter how close they claimed to be. He kept that to himself, however, and nodded sympathetically until the woman ran out of breath. Seeing an opportunity present itself, he asked her a question that had been puzzling him for a few minutes now. “Exactly why did you come to us, Mrs. Crabtree? Don’t you think this is more a matter for the police?”
The woman hesitated and for the first time something like shame crept into her eyes. “Well, it’s like this. I found these things in Dora’s room when I did my cleaning. I-I didn’t show them to the police ‘cause I didn’t know what to make of them and I don’t want the neighbors talking. A-a friend of a friend told me you handle this sorta thing.” She opened a large plain brown bag she’d brought with her. She pulled out the heavy books she had inside and handed them to the souled vampire.
Angel studied them carefully. He was holding books on demonology and witchcraft. They were harmless, the kind of junk sold in novelty stores and designed to appeal to gullible, desperate teenage girls who wanted to seize some illusion of magical muscle in a world that kept them powerless. They meant nothing in and of themselves. It was the odor he was detecting off them that caused him concern. He laid them casually on his desk. “Ma’am, you’ve come to the right place.”
The tall, blue-eyed man listening intently spoke up at this point. “Do not worry, madam. You are in good hands. Angel and his stalwart band of fellow champions will move the heavens to locate—”
“We’ll get on it right away, Mrs. Crabtree.” Angel had learned to cut Groo off quickly when he started on one of his speeches. His odd way of talking as if he were an extra in a bad sword-and-sandal film didn’t really go over well with their clients.
Angel didn’t mind the enthusiasm. It was always welcome. In fact, after months of working at Angel Investigations, he was amazed that Groo could still sally forth with the same fervor he’d possessed when he first came to work with them. His devotion to their cause—and to Angel—never wavered or waned. It was one of the things Angel loved about him. He just thought he should taper off on the Prince Valiant gabble.
And Angel did love Groo. Wesley had responded to the news of his new—mate with typical British politeness after his initial shock. Gunn had had a lot of snappy comments to make. But he was cool with gayness, as he put it. As long as it didn’t interfere with work, he didn’t care. Fred was understandably confused and wondered about his kyerumption with Cordelia, a statement that had produced much bafflement and momentary hurt with both Groo and his seer.
Cordelia Chase had been rather vocal in her disbelief when Angel had announced Groo as his lover. Wounded pride vied with astonishment as she demanded to know exactly when this had happened and how Groo could have gotten over her so easily when he’d claimed to love her. Having Groo point out that she was the one to dismiss him hadn’t helped to appease her fury.
Guess Groo hasn’t learned how illogical women can be when their feelings have been hurt. Angel resisted the urge to smile and kept his eyes riveted on the distressed woman now getting up from her chair.
“The police say they can’t do anything until she’s been missing for 48 hours. They think she’s run off. But I know my Dora would never do that. Besides, all her clothes are still there.”
“Is it possible for us to see your home and look into her room? We may spot something.”
“Of course. I can’t expect those lousy cops to do anything. What are my tax dollars paying them for, anyway?” she ranted in bitter accents. “Now that Mrs. Lee across the street, I’d expect this to happen to her. That son of hers going out at all hours, blasting his loud music. His mother doesn’t care. She’s too busy getting into loud, ugly arguments with that drunken, no-good bum of a husband of hers...”
Angel found himself listening with only half an ear as the woman ranted about the objectionable behavior of her neighbors. As they piled into the car, she barely stopped speaking all the way to her house. He was beginning to sympathize with Dora. If she had run away from home, then it wasn’t too hard to understand why.
__________
Having wrangled an invitation out of the chattering woman, Angel and Groo stood in the girl’s room. Groo wasn’t really needed for such a mundane business. But Angel thought it might be a good idea for him to get out and mingle with ordinary human beings and learn how to function in the world in a way that didn’t involve finding some demon and bashing in its head.
In most ways it was a typical teenaged girl’s dwelling. But instead of boy band posters—Mrs. Crabtree declared that such creatures peddled the devil’s music—her walls sported shelves holding various academic awards. There were even a few for best flautist in a school band.
The room was also flawlessly neat. Angel could detect the faint odor of Pine Sol—not something a young woman would use. He was certain that Mrs. Crabtree was in here frequently cleaning and checking up on her child.
How the young woman could have escaped the watchful eye of such an Argus was a wonder. But Angelus had known a few convent girls who’d proved endlessly resourceful in slipping the leash. Under normal circumstances, he’d put this down as a simple runaway or perhaps the young woman had stayed too long at her secret boyfriend’s house. But the scent on those books had him worried.
Angel looked carefully as he dug through the girl’s things. He was looking for a diary that might indicate the girl’s thoughts, her movements or any new person in her life. He was certain her eagle-eyed mother must have scoured the room before him. Still, it couldn’t hurt to give it a last going over.
He pulled back the bed and carefully sounded the floor all around the sides. Nope, nothing. Either she hadn’t kept a journal like Buffy and countless other teenaged girls did or she’d kept it too well hidden even for an inquisitive vampire to find. Finally he gave up. “Come on, Groo. I think we’re finished here.”
Groo had shown an avid curiosity about everything in Dora’s room. Even the shiny trophies hadn’t escaped his scrutiny as he asked aloud if the girl had earned them in battle. Angel was glad they’d thought to shut the door; he wouldn’t have known how to explain that statement to Mrs. Crabtree. “Angel, I have seen no sign that anything is amiss. The mother insists that her daughter is the pinnacle of feminine virtue.”
“She wouldn’t be the first mother deceived about her offspring,” Angel commented dryly. He squinted at the door and then leaned his head close to the other man’s. “Groo, I’ll discuss this with you in the car. We don’t want to worry Mrs. Crabtree.”
Unconsciously, the former Pylean lowered his voice to match Angel’s. “You have sensed something?”
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here.” Seeing a picture of a smiling Dora in her high school graduation gown, Angel plucked it out of the frame and pocketed it.
He opened the door and caught Mrs. Crabtree hunched over in front of it. She straightened up hastily and stammered, “O-oh. Are you finished already?”
Angel nodded as he headed outdoors. “Yes. We’ll call you if we find out anything.” He could tell the woman was dissatisfied with his easy dismissal. She would be even less pleased with what he had to say next. “Mrs. Crabtree, I know you trust your daughter. But I believe something may have happened that might put you at risk. Promise me if she comes to your house at night, you won’t let her in...at least until I or one of my associates sees her first.”
Mrs. Crabtree frowned in bewilderment. Mr. Angel—and what kind of name was that for a man, anyway?—was deadly serious and she didn’t understand it. “Why? Why should I keep my own daughter out of the house?”
“She might be—changed by what’s happened to her. If she got involved in anything, she might be a danger to you.”
“Changed? Changed how? You talking about drugs? My Dora would never do that sort of thing!” She became belligerent again at the very thought of her daughter involved in such activity.
Angel held up his hands in a placating gesture and gave her his most ingratiating smile. He had been quite the gallant during his human days and he could still pour on the charm whenever he wanted. “I’m not saying that. But look at the facts. Your daughter is missing, there’s no sign of a struggle and she was involved in witchcraft, which you knew nothing about. It’s very possible that whatever she’s mixed up in would prove dangerous—to you as well as her. So promise me, Mrs. Crabtree. Don’t let your daughter inside until one of my people has seen her.”
Mrs. Crabtree had stared mesmerized into his dark eyes while he’d spoken to her. When he finished, she blinked hard and shook her head slightly as if dazed. “S-sure. Don’t...let Dora into the house. I understand.”
He smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Mrs. Crabtree.” He nodded to Groo and they stepped outside. Just as they were coming out they heard a woman’s voice raise itself to a scream followed by the crash of broken dishes. A man came stumbling out of a house across the street followed by the angry female in question. “Asshole! That’s all you are! I should have divorced you the first year, before the kids came, but oh no. I believed in the sanctity of marriage. And look what I got to show for it!”
“Shut up, you bitch!” the man responded in an ugly, broken slur. His eyes were vicious and defeated as if reliving a scene in which he had no real interest, the outcome already determined.
The woman—Mrs. Lee, pointed out in Mrs. Crabtree’s dramatic stage whisper—began grimly throwing clothing out the door. “Take your shit and get out! Don’t come back, you hear me? You come back and I’ll have a restraining order put on you.”
“Promises, promises,” Mr. Lee muttered. He gathered up his clothes as best he could in an awkward bundle.
Mrs. Lee paused, evidently surprised that he was leaving with so little fuss. “Wait. Where you going?”
“What the fuck you care? You just threw me out!” Mr. Lee shot back.
“I know. And I don’t care. I just want to know what to tell the kids.”
“Tell them I’ve left you and gone to Vegas—with a hot blond!” Flipping her the bird, he strode to his car and fumbled for his keys.
A soft tenor voice interrupted him. “Excuse me, sir. Could we talk to you for a minute?” Mr. Lee yelped and dropped the keys. Bending down, he swore vehemently about getting heart attacks from strangers sneaking up on you and then straightened. And looked up. And up.
Two tall men, both dressed alike (something screamed “fag” to him but he got the distinct impression it wouldn’t do to pick a fight with this pair), towered over him. The one with the dark eyes was especially creepy; he was giving Mr. Lee the heebie jeebies and the drunk didn’t like it one bit.
“Yeah. Whaddaya guys want?” he asked, mustering up as much bluster as he could manage.
“Mrs. Crabtree’s daughter has gone...”
He grinned with malicious delight. “Good for her! Time that girl showed some spunk. That woman keeps her locked up like she’s a nun in a convent. I figure it’s good for girls to get out, find out something about the world. Know what I mean?” He winked at the two, engaging in the automatic camaraderie that all guys got into when they talk about women.
“She’s not partying. She’s missing,” Angel answered bluntly. The odor he’d smelled on Dora’s books and in her room was coming from this man although with a subtle difference. He recognized the distinction that indicated a familial resemblance and knew this man was involved in the girl’s disappearance if only indirectly.
“Oh. Oh, she is? Didn’t know that. What’s that to do with me then?”
“Mrs. Crabtree mentioned you have a son. We think that son may have been seeing Dora.”
“My boy with that little mouse? Go on. I mean, don’t get me wrong. She’s cute and all. But them churchy types ain’t for us Lee men. We like our women with a little more sauce in the bedroom.” He flashed another knowing smirk only to have it fade as his wife returned and threw some more of his articles into the street. “Course, there’s something to be said for a woman who keeps her mouth shut and knows her place.”
Angel ignored the sound of breakage as he kept his gaze on Mr. Lee. He had to appear intimidating without annoying the man. Fortunately that was a skill Angelus had honed to perfection. “We have evidence the boy was in her room. Her mother doesn’t know anything about that—yet.” He paused meaningfully. “But if you could give us any information about your son, his hangouts, his friends, his activities, we’d greatly appreciate it.”
“You so sure my boy’s involved, why don’t you go to the police?” Mr. Lee was no one’s pushover. He was leaving his wife because he was sick of her not because the broad was throwing him out, no matter what these guys or the neighbors might think.
“Wouldn’t you prefer that we not get the police involved, Mr. Lee? There would probably be no end of embarrassment for you. Not to mention the trial and the publicity if there’s a crime involved. The media and the judicial system tend to be very hard on the relatives of wayward kids. They blame the parents when the kids screw up. What would people think of you?”
“They’d say it was that bitch’s fault, that’s what! Now you guys ain’t cops, I don’t have to talk to you, so fuck off!”
Groo had been witnessing this exchange in increasing perplexity. Angel was certain this man or his son was responsible for the loss of that woman’s daughter. Why did not Angel become more aggressive with him?
Seizing Mr. Lee by the collar, Groo lifted him effortlessly off the ground and shook him until his teeth rattled. “Vile creature! A young girl’s virtue, nay, her very life, may hang in the balance and you will not come to her aid? I shall strike you and carve the word ‘coward’ in your forehead for all your compatriots to witness!”
“H-h-holy sh-sh-shit!” Mr. Lee choked out, his head flopping on his shoulders.
Angel grabbed at his arms. “Groo! Put him down!” he hissed. Turning his head, he met the astonished gaze of Mrs. Lee.
“Hey, you! What the hell are you doing with my husband?” she yelled.
Pausing to see that Groo had complied with his request, Angel marched up to her. “We’re questioning him about the disappearance of the Crabtree girl across the street.”
“She gone missing? That’s a shame. She was a nice one not like that sanctimonious hag of a mother of hers.”
“We found evidence that your son may have had contact with Dora,” Angel stated.
“Oh yeah? Which one?”
He hadn’t foreseen this. “Pardon?”
The woman’s expression grew crafty as she scrutinized him. “I got two. Which one ya looking for?”
“I believe it would be Robert, your eldest,” came over his shoulder and Angel turned to see Groo standing beside him. Mr. Lee was leaning against his car, his head bent towards the ground as he vomited up the contents of his stomach. Hmmm, never a good idea to shake a drunk; you never knew what was going to come up.
“Is that right? Your big friend here don’t seem too sure about that. I don’t think you guys got anything on my boy—either of them. You’re just snooping and you think you can pin something on us. Well, you got nothing and you ain’t seeing Robert.”
“We’ve got your boy’s name in Dora’s diary, and, if we can’t talk to Robert, I’m certain the police would be happy to.” It was a bluff but Mrs. Lee didn’t need to know that.
Angel’s stare never wavered and after a moment Mrs. Lee dropped her gaze. She muttered, “You can’t talk to him anyhow. He ain’t been home in three days. Probably out turning into a first-class, loser drunk just like his father. Why couldn’t I have had girls like Mrs. Crabtree? My life would be so much easier!” she sniffed.
“Yeah, you would have raised them to be evil bitches just like you!” Mr. Lee yelled from the sidewalk.
Mrs. Lee glared daggers at him and ran out to the car. As the couple began smacking and screaming at each other, Angel sighed inwardly. In all his years as a human and demon, no mortal drama was worse or more painful to deal with than domestic quarrels. He’d heard that cops preferred handling hostage situations to dealing with angry spouses.
“Hey, you guys looking for my brother?” The voice was quiet and Angel made out a slight figure concealed within the darkened doorway.
“Yes. You must be Daniel,” Groo said. Angel wondered how he knew. First Robert’s name, now this kid’s. He made a mental note to ask him later.
A slender teenager with black hair dyed purple on top stepped from behind the door and grimaced at the arguing adults outside. “That’s me. Mom and Dad are gonna be at it a while so you might as well come in.”
The invitation given, Angel and Groo stepped silently over the threshold. “You sure your mom will be okay with us being in here?” Angel asked him.
The young boy—he couldn’t have been much older than 16—flashed a grim smile. “She’ll probably freak. But it may give her something else to bitch about besides Dad. Their drama gets really old after a while.”
“What can you tell us about your brother?”
“Not much these days. I-I think he’s involved with a gang or something.” Daniel studied the floor, his gray eyes deeply unhappy. He was upset about betraying his brother like this but Angel could hear the concern in his voice.
“Can you show us his room?”
“Sure. But it won’t do any good.”
“Why’s that?” Angel followed Daniel up a rickety flight of stairs. The house was dilapidated. The furniture was broken down, the rug tattered and the wallpaper torn or peeling in spots. The whole place gave off the stink of human misery, anger and disappointment. No wonder Robert had taken off.
“Angel. I do not understand,” Groo whispered in an undertone. “This place is vastly different from Dora Crabtree’s abode. Why would she associate with one who lived thusly except for the proximity between their domiciles?”
Daniel halted and turned on the stairs. “Huh? What’d he say?”
Angel explained, “He’s curious about Robert. We both are.”
Daniel shrugged and took them down a narrow corridor. He stopped in front of a scarred door with chipped brown enamel and pointed. “Well, good luck about being curious.”
Angel saw it then. A large padlock held the door shut and he was guessing that no one in the house had the key. “I think I’ve got a skeleton key on me that might do the trick.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “A skeleton key? Cool! Can I see how you use it?”
The vampire’s answering smile was thin. He had no such thing but now he’d have to fake it for the boy. Ostentatiously pulling a bundle of keys from his pocket, he fiddled with them while grasping the lock in one big hand. Pretending to insert one of the keys, he pulled and gave the lock a sharp twist. Subjected to vampire strength, the lock popped open easily.
The boy stood on tiptoe. He couldn’t see over Angel’s considerably taller stature but he saw the door swing open. “Wow, that was easy. I don’t suppose you have a spare, do ya?”
“Nope.” He stepped warily into the room and clenched his jaw. The interior of the boy’s room was not reassuring. Everywhere he looked he could see Satanic symbols on the walls. A candle rested on a human skull and one sniff told him it was genuine. His lips thinned as he considered the implications. The kid probably dug it up himself. What the hell are children thinking these days, desecrating graves for no good reason?
There was also the slight stink of burnt herbs in the air. However, they were no longer recent. The boy hadn’t been here in a while, probably absent the three days his mother had mentioned.
He noticed Daniel eyeing the place in shock. “Shit. This is what Robbie’s been into? I had no idea it was this bad.”
Angel drew Daniel away and began questioning him. “You said you thought your brother was involved in a gang. Did you see this stuff in his room?”
“Nah. He got the padlock weeks ago back when his room still looked normal. Said he didn’t want nobody going through his stuff. He must have got all this junk afterwards. It was a good quality lock, too. I couldn’t get it off even with a hammer.”
“What about your parents? Didn’t they care about your brother’s seclusion?”
A snort from the boy indicated the idiocy of that idea. “Them? The Kramdens downstairs? Robbie could set the house on fire before they’d notice he was up to something. But I heard things.”
He lowered his voice as if he were about to divulge something terrible. “Weird noises like howlings or ugly whispers like he had somebody in there with him. I saw him hanging out with these guys from a distance once. But when I got closer they’d disappeared, like it was magic. When I asked him about ‘em, he told me to mind my own business. I told him I’d tell Mom and Dad and he said I’d better not unless I wanted us all murdered in our beds.” He hugged himself unhappily and glanced back to where Groo was turning over his brother’s mattress.
“Angel! I have found something. It looks like a scroll of some sort.” Groo came out waving a folder.
Angel nodded. “Great.” He handed Daniel the card for Angel Investigations. “Here’s our number and website. If your brother shows up or you see or hear anything about Dora, you give us a ring. I’d also like a picture of your brother, if you’ve got it.”
Angel clasped Daniel lightly by the shoulder and looked him in the eyes. He had to impress this boy about his brother. He only hoped he’d be easier to persuade than Mrs. Crabtree. “A few other things. You said you saw your brother with other guys. Tell me where and when you saw them. Also, you’re not to let your brother inside the house, understand? If he shows up here again, especially if it’s at night, you don’t let him in no matter what he says. You tell your parents that, too.”
“I can’t let Robbie in?” Daniel eyed his brother’s room. “He’s in some deep shit, isn’t he? It isn’t just a gang.” He stated it with a heavy certainty. “Is it a kind of cult? I figured that’s the only way to explain this...and the others.”
Groo visibly perked up at this. The vampire went still. “Others? What others?” Angel intoned, directing that unwavering stare at the boy again.
__________
Angel and Groo entered the car, saying nothing until the doors were shut and they were safely on their way. Then Groo asked, “Angel, what is it? I smelled strangeness—in the girl’s room and the boy’s though stronger in his. And all those odd symbols on the wall... He is involved in evil, is he not?”
“He is, Groo. He’s probably dead—or worse,” Angel muttered. “Robert’s gotten involved with vampires. And I think he’s roped in Dora with this, too. According to what Daniel told me, other kids have gone missing around here lately.”
“Why have not the local constabulary been involved?”
Angel turned the wheel, peering into the side mirror for oncoming traffic. “The disappearances have been few and only in the last couple of days. Police can’t do anything until the children have been missing for two days. So only some kids have garnered police attention. And, with parents like the Lees, I’m betting their kids haven’t been reported at all.”
“But what of that innocent girl?” Groo frowned.
“Robert probably got a thrill out of being with vampires and may have lured her in with him. Or maybe she doesn’t know what he’s getting her into.”
“What will he do with her?”
The souled vampire shrugged. “Not sure. If he’s dead, nothing. If he’s a vampire, he may offer her up as a meal or turn her as his childe. We’ll know that when we find them. By the way, how did you know the names of Mrs. Lee’s two boys?”
“The Crabtree woman gave a detailed description of the woman and her boys in the chariot ride here. Were you not paying heed, Liam?”
No, he hadn’t been. Considering that the woman’s rant had been a non-stop litany of self-congratulatory spewing about herself and complaints against the neighbors, he’d found himself tuning her out. But Groo was, as always, alert to everything in his surroundings. Score one for the Pylean.
Groo continued his questioning as to their next line of movement. “So first we go to this place where Daniel saw his brother and then we wait?”
Angel nodded and smiled. Groo was excellent at waiting. He’d never seen such a tireless hunter other than himself.
Angelus had been one to stalk his prey with a deadly, merciless patience backed up by ruthless cunning. But Groo’s stillness put his efforts to shame. He’d seen the Pylean settle down without moving in one spot for hours. Not so much as a muscle twitch, other than the occasional blink of an eye, had ruined his pose. He’d been like a beautiful, carefully sculpted statue. The vampire had been impressed.
Now they might have to do some serious stalking. If they were up against vampires, even fledglings, the creatures might take off at the first whiff of trouble. They could go to another city and start their hunts all over again. That was the bitch about dealing with vampires. They were immortal creatures with an eternity to plan and wreak havoc. This had to stop now.
But evidently not tonight. Groo and Angel wandered all over the spot Daniel had told him about and, while there was vampire scent, it was old and dying. There were no vampires here other than Angel himself. When he felt the coming dawn itching between his shoulder blades, Angel decided it was time to quit. “Oak, let’s call it a night.”
Groo was reluctant to leave even if the trail was cold. But he had learned of Angel’s fear of sunlight and returned unwillingly to the car.
__________

Fred frowned as she typed the names from Robert’s list into the computer. “Lots of girls and boys’s names on this list, Angel, including this Dora Crabtree. We talking mass abductions here?”
“Could be. Or they went of their own free will. Whatever the case, Robert is right in the middle of it.”
“Some of these kids are from Dora’s neighborhood. How come Mrs. Crabtree’s the only one to come to us?” Gunn asked as he flipped through the papers. There were four pages, each covered in a crabbed scrawl. In some places, there were only names and addresses. In others, a description of the missing and personal things like music groups, clothing, favorite foods and hangouts were also listed. Evidently, Robert had taken pains to learn something about these kids before he made off with them.
“Probably because Mrs. Crabtree is the only one to find evidence of the demonic in her child’s home,” Angel responded. It was coming on close to 10 a.m. He’d learned to adapt somewhat to human hours. But he was a nocturnal creature at heart. He wanted to sleep—after some hot sex with Groo. He knew, too, that his partner was antsy from their fruitless hunt and needed to work off his frustration. He shifted and tried to cover a yawn.
Wesley quizzed their seer. “Cordelia, have you gotten any visions?”
“No, thank god. But I’m sure if the PTB want to, they’ll beep me with all their concussion-giving gentleness.” The woman waved her hand at them and then glowered, noticing how Groo and Angel hovered next to each other. “Look, if we’re holding you two up, why don’t you just leave already and get to humping each other stupid?”
An unhappy look settled in Groo’s eyes and Angel growled softly. Cordelia could take all the potshots at him she wanted but he wasn’t going to tolerate any nastiness from her about his lover. The seer must have sensed his ire because she backed away and pretended to find something of interest in her magazine.
“Perhaps we should retire, Angel. We have told the others all we know and can do no more good here.” Groo trudged away from the others and Angel saw the slump in his shoulders.
The vampire may have been able to shrug off Cordelia’s snippy comments. But Groo was of a very different disposition. Sarcasm in others wasn’t something he was used to dealing with. The casual contempt from his demon overseers had been one thing; that had been dealt out wholesale to all the “cows” in Pylea. But, due to his physical prowess as their Groosalugg, they had learned to accord him a grudging measure of respect. Cordelia’s altered attitude towards him, however, was difficult to take.
The vampire forced himself to listen as Wesley gave his instructions. “Since you think this Robert may be involved with vampires and is preying on the local teenaged population, it’s logical to assume he may be back for his brother or may strike again. We should post lookouts at the area before night falls again.”
“Dora may also return to kill her mother. So keep an eye on her house, too,” Angel added.
Fred was shocked at the notion. “W-why? Can’t she find victims elsewhere? Why come back and attack her own mom?”
“When the demon moves in, all the old resentments against her mother will bubble to the surface. Dora won’t care about how much she loved her. She’ll just want revenge for all the petty hurts and restrictions her mother set on her throughout the years.”
“Oh. I see.” It was obvious by her baffled expression that she didn’t. Fred’s own parents—decent, caring folk—had been all too eager to take her back when they’d found her after her stint in Pylea. It was her own conviction that they wouldn’t want the mixed-up mess she’d turned into that had kept her away from them initially.
“Guess having killed your own parents you can relate, huh, Angel?” Cordelia’s breezy comment did nothing to disguise the thinly veiled malice under it.
Wesley glared at her. But the souled vampire brushed past her without a look or word. He’d learned that the best way to irritate Cordelia Chase or flatten her with disapproval was to ignore her, a trick he’d honed to perfection over the last couple of years. Groo would have to grow a thick skin if he was to weather her nasty comments.
Entering his room, he could hear Groo showering. The convenience of indoor plumbing was a never-ending source of delight for the blue-eyed giant. He would have spent hours playing in the water if Angel had allowed it; the vampire knew he would be a while under the spray. To his surprise, Groo entered the room only minutes later, his expression subdued as toweled his hair dry.
Angel guessed the reason behind his chastised behavior. “Oak. Don’t let her bother you.” He shrugged off his coat and hung it up, giving the Pylean time to regain his composure.
“Liam, I-I cannot bear it. I thought the breaking of our contract was one of mutual agreement. Now it seems she thinks I have wronged her. How much longer will she continue to hate me thus?” He sighed and sat down on the bed.
Angel walked over and seated himself, clasping the blue-eyed giant around the shoulders. “She doesn’t hate you, Oak. She just hates the idea that you recovered from being with her so quickly. She probably expected you to pine because she no longer wanted you.”
The Pylean’s brow knitted. “I had no idea my princess was so petty. I would have thought a noble personage like herself above such meanness. I don’t understand her.”
“Join the club. Men have been trying to figure out women forever and we still haven’t managed it,” Angel remarked, his tone laced with delicate irony. “They’re very tender creatures except where their feelings have been wounded. She just thought that you were in love with her and she thinks the fact you recovered so quickly means that you didn’t feel it quite so deeply as you pretended.”
“It was no pretense!” Groo declared hotly. “I truly worshipped my princess. There was no falsehood in my affection for her.”
“And yet she tells you to get lost and you come to my bed the same evening. You can understand how this might be confusing to her. In fact, you never really explained it to me either.” Angel kicked off his shoes, lay back along the bed and raised his eyebrows inquiringly at his fellow warrior, a silent signal for Groo to enlighten him.
Groo hesitated. He could express the gentler emotions with far greater ease than most American males. That didn’t mean he could do so on command. He stretched out beside Angel and spoke slowly as he tried to lay out what had been in his mind.
“It was not a sudden withdrawal of my feelings from her to you. My love for my princess was wrapped up with many other things: her courage, strength and fierce dedication to my people’s welfare, which astonished me greatly since she was not of my world. My lords also commanded me to komshak with her and that formed a large part of my feelings for her. You might say I had been prepared to love her before I ever saw her. It made loving her effortless.
“But when she went away and I was left with the burden of statecraft, I thought more and more how unsuited I was for it. She perhaps would been a fine queen. But she was not the warrior who could fight by my side and...” He stopped speaking and his eyes fell from Angel’s searching gaze.
“And what?” Angel prompted.
“I-I found myself troubled with dreams of you,” he whispered. “I did not know why that was. I was told you were a monstrous beast that would have defiled my princess. You were an enemy. But I saw the humanity behind your eyes, how valiantly you fought, the man who forced his way back from beasthood and the mercy you showed me that I would not have given you. My heart was filled with you even though my head admired my princess above all. When I made my path to your world, I convinced myself that it was the beauteous Cordelia for whom I came.”
He had inclined unconsciously during his speech until he was lying next to Angel. His towel had slipped slightly from around his waist and without thinking Angel reached for him, running his cool hand in leisured strokes around the taut belly.
Groo sucked in his breath at that insinuating touch, his stomach fluttering under Angel’s hand. But the vampire was waiting for more so he forced down his rising lust and continued, his voice slightly breathless. “The more I knew of you, the more I yearned to be close to you. When you kissed me in that brothel, I knew the bliss that was kyerumption. Yet how could I abandon my princess when I’d journeyed so far for her and she was so pleased to be at my side once more?
“But when she released me from my vows, I was overwhelmed with joy and couldn’t think of anything save being with you. Perhaps I ought to have waited out of respect. But I honestly never intended to hurt her. Why can she not see that?” He turned pleading blue eyes on Angel and the pain in them almost crushed the vampire’s heart.
“She doesn’t know what you just told me, Oak. Maybe if you explain it to her the way you did to me, she’ll understand.”
The Pylean sighed and shifted closer. “Very well. She has nothing but harsh words for me now but if she is willing to listen, I will make her hear me.”
Angel smiled, his eyes drifting lower. The towel had slipped farther over Groo’s waist with his altered position in the bed and he moved his hand so that it made slow, caressing circles on the point of Groo’s upturned hip. The Pylean’s pupils darkened and a moist tongue darted out to lick at his upper lip. Following that cue, Angel leaned forward and kissed the man ardently.
A cool tongue stroked and parted the warmer lips. It flowed like honey over the lower one to wind across the teeth and to the sought-after prize of tongue and palate that lay in wait. Groo moaned and fell onto his back, his powerful arms winding around Angel’s back to clutch and draw him nearer. In spite of Angel’s attempts to teach the alien to linger in the preliminaries, the youth still brought an impatient exuberance to their lovemaking.
Now his lips parted from Angel’s and he gasped. “Angel, you need to disrobe. There is too much clothing between us.” He threw off the towel so that his gorgeous physique was at once bared to the vampire’s appreciative view.
The demon chuckled, both at the formality of the phrasing and his lover’s obvious zeal. Standing beside the bed, he unhurriedly unbuttoned his shirt, letting Groo see his chest being bared little by little. Then he unzipped his pants slowly, the material sliding down his legs.
“Liam,” Groo whispered. His hand reached and ran over a sculpted glute, questing fingers slipping into the crack. Angel cocked his head at his lover, noting the dilated pupils and quickened heartbeat he could easily hear. That subtle, unearthly flavor of Groo’s skin was especially stronger when he was aroused and Angel’s nostrils flared at the scent. Catching the probing hand in his own, he allowed his eager bed partner to tug him into the bed.
They lay side by side, indulging in passionate kisses, as the Pylean sought to devour his partner. His frustration at their aborted hunt earlier had peaked his hunger. Angel was hard-put to spin this out for as long as he wanted and at last he gave in to his lover’s demanding movements. His head lowered over the arching neck, tepid lips pressing ever downwards. The hot flesh rippled and throbbed as the vampire sought and captured a peaked nipple.
“More, Liam,” Groo sighed. “Lick them. I love that.” You had to love the lad’s directness. He had no trouble saying what he wanted in bed and Angel obeyed, sucking at the rough pebbles until the mortal beneath him bucked into his mouth.
The warm body heaved against the cooler one, the Pylean’s breath washing over him. Human gasps came in short hitches while Groo’s hands combed through his hair. Angel smiled when they began pushing him ever downwards. The cockhead nudged his chin but he decided to tease his amour a little.
The manhood that had been lengthening against the ridged stomach stretched proud and thick, the bulging head lying in a sticky pool of pre-cum. Angel lapped up the liquid, the smoky flavor subtly different from that of human males.
Groo was being driven mad. Angel licked his stomach, kissed along his ribs and ran his fingers in easy, barely-there touches along his thighs but kept away from the source of his desire. He angled up his hips towards the vampire’s lips, mutely urging him to take the cock in his mouth, but the demon laughingly evaded him.
Finally, Angel’s lips closed over the tip. He nibbled at the wrinkled foreskin, delighting in pushing and playing with it. He drew it down with his thumb and forefinger and lapped like a cat at the oozing soft skin underneath. Groo’s breath caught in his throat and then escaped in a whistling wheeze. “Oh, yes. Liam. Like that. Your mouth...so good...” Angel drew the cock farther in and his lover’s words choked off with a groan.
Mmmmm, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d sucked on another cock as firm and tasty as this one. He swallowed carefully and managed to push his lips all the way down to the base. He locked his fist around the shaft, giving firmer licks, exploring the salty tang. Hips arched, pushing the cock deeper, so he held the thighs down to let him proceed at a slower pace. Groo moaned and wound his hands in the short, bristled hair, trying to make Angel hurry.
But the vampire would not be rushed. How he loved hearing Groo whimper, feeling the anxiety and impatience thrumming through the body beneath him. He drew up letting the cock almost fall out of his mouth. Then he sucked languidly, caressing the veined shaft with his tongue.
He closed his eyes, savoring the rich, flexing smoothness as it reached deep inside his throat, as if to choke him. At times like this not needing to breathe was an asset. The Pylean’s voice rose, higher and louder, as he begged, commanded, pleaded with Liam to hurry. The act was being drawn out as if the demon meant to torture him by denying him the pleasure cresting in his body.
Angel would pause letting the passion ebb slightly in his partner before starting to suck again. He could keep Groo dancing on the edge like this for hours if he chose. But he sensed how much his lover needed this. Giving one particularly hard suck, he massaged the balls with his thumbs, adding the rolling sensation to the suction on Groo’s shaft.
Shudders wracked the large man’s frame as the ecstasy washed over him at last. “Liam!” he cried and he came in powerful spurts down Angel’s throat. Angel swallowed greedily, the alien spunk thick and creamy and like no other taste in the world. It was almost like the blood he wouldn’t allow himself to taste.
The heart galloped wildly in the mortal’s chest and the blood raced over his body, seeming to peak in Groo’s eyes. Angel was once again enrapt by the blue gaze shifting to violet. He licked his lips and sat up until he was astride Groo’s hips. “Oak,” he whispered. “Sit up.”
Groo was slow to obey given how limp he was. Sex with Angel produced a blessed languor that he’d never known before coming to this world. But at last he shoved his way against the pillows, his back braced by the headboard. Angel grasped his lover’s shoulders and raised himself above him. Holding Groo’s eyes, he bore down until the cockhead lay against his ass. Adjusting himself for the proper angle, he let Groo’s hands press him onto the pulsating meat.
Groo lay back against the headboard, his hips undulating, as he thrust into his partner. He gasped, his mouth wide, striving to draw in much needed air. “Liiaaaammm,” he squeezed out. The large body over his shifted, the cool ass rippling around his manhood, and a strangled bark erupted from him.
Angel had never been the one to get his ass fucked in a relationship. But he’d found he loved it when Groo did it. He loved it a lot. Squatting on his partner’s lap, he looked at the stalwart features as corded muscles bunched in the jaw and the pulse jumped like a live thing. As always he longed to sink his teeth into that firm neck and taste his lover’s essence. As always he tamped down the urge and settled for the simple joy of fucking and being fucked senseless.
A warm hand grasped his neck and pulled him down for a soul-searing kiss. Tongues lashed together and he plumbed every inch of that mortal space as he kissed his love. He clenched his buttocks hard and swallowed Groo’s surprised moan. His hips pumped faster, riding Groo’s hot meat. That shaft filled him completely, rubbing his prostate until Angel thought his head would explode. Even though Groo was fucking him, he was setting the pace, trying to spin out the bliss as he was nudged closer and closer to the finish line.
Groo’s face was a study in agonized delight, his head forced back into the pillows. Heedless of his own strength, he dug his fingers into Angel’s waist. Two strong bodies rocked against each other, faster and faster. Lush, moist sounds mingled with the grunts from the paired warriors.
He swept a hand down the broad expanse of heated chest, relishing the swath of puckered flesh that rose in its wake. God, the heat rising from his lover’s skin, the heart banging until Angel could hear nothing else, the hot cock filling him—it was heaven. It was sheer delight. He gave a startled yelp as he was tumbled onto his back. Groo’s form reared over him and he stared into that face suffused with blood. The blue in the strange eyes flickered, shading to amethyst. The mortal’s voice deepened as well to a growling rumble almost as compelling as his. Another squeeze from his ass and the Pylean lost control and began fucking him into the mattress.
The two men came together and parted, their limbs tangling in an exquisite parody of wrestling. Heavy balls slapped against Angel’s ass while Groo pistoned in ever increasing strokes. Chilly fingers grasped and dragged at Groo’s ass, drawing him in farther with every pull. “Fuck me, Oak. Fuck me hard,” the vampire growled through a mouthful of fangs. At his lover’s savagery, Groo shuddered, threw back his head and with one last thrust began cumming deep inside his vampire.
It was amazing. Angel could actually feel and hear the splash of cum within his rectum and every inch of meat while his ass fluttered and locked around the manhood. Groo continued to cum, violent convulsions causing his body to spasm in Angel’s embrace. The vampire was cumming, too, sticky ropes of cum oozing down his belly and sides and soaking the bed sheets.
Harsh, straining gasps heated his face and a heart pounding as if it would explode battered against his chest. Angel was panting, too. Not necessary but he couldn’t help it. Instinct and want seemed to collide to squeeze non-existent air out of him to mingle with his mate’s. His breathing stopped sooner than Groo’s and he basked in the solidity of the big man resting on his body.
When the larger man’s weight shifted, he opened his eyes in time to see Groo sweeping up the liquid with his fingers and sucking it avidly. It was a good thing he’d called Willow and demanded to know whether his soul was bound. Otherwise he would surely lose it at moments like this. Not that Angelus would kill Groo; no, he’d turn him and then they’d feast on everybody in the hotel.
Still, he wasn’t certain he could turn him. He’d never even tasted Groo’s blood so he wasn’t sure it was palatable. Groo had gotten injured a number of times on patrol but healed so quickly Angel hadn’t been able to get a lick of his wounds. It was frustrating.
Also, the bloodfeeding from a love partner during sex would constitute a mating and he wouldn’t mate with him unless Groo understood what that meant. The Pylean had a vague idea of what vampires were but the whole ecstasy from the feasting wasn’t part of his knowledge and Angel honestly didn’t know how to broach it to him. He was certain Groo was his amnchara but he wasn’t sure the Pylean wanted to be with him for the rest of his mortal life. Few mortals could really grasp the concept of eternity.
What if Groo got lonely for a wife and family? What if he got homesick? So much of the human world baffled him and not always in a good way. Angel pushed these thoughts aside again. He didn’t want anything to spoil this moment. He patted Groo on the behind and then pinched it to get him to move.
The Pylean drew back and gave him a mock reproachful look but shuffled obediently to the side away from the wet spot. He lowered his head and began sweeping licks over Angel’s torso, cleaning up the remains of the fluid. The blue-eyed man finished his tongue bath and wound his arms around his mate. “Mmm, Liam. How is it that each time with you feels better and better? I feel as if our souls are merging. If this is truly kyerumption, then it is bliss—and a little frightening.”
The vampire lifted his head and peered into his lover’s face. “Frightening?”
Groo nodded. “Yes. Sometimes I fear you will tire of me. When I am old…”
Angel’s arms tightened around the other. “Never. Age won’t make any difference to me.”
“Perhaps. But you will live forever and I will not. And when I am weakened and no longer able to lift a sword by your side, I will no longer be a champion. When I have such thoughts, I wish more than ever to die gloriously in battle so you will never have to see me like that.”
A chill settled over Angel and he frowned. “Don’t say that, Oak.”
The Pylean nestled closer. “But it is true. One way or the other, you will outlive me. I would rather be taken from this life while I am still loved and needed rather than a useless burden you bear out of fondness for what we once had.”
He pressed a firm kiss on the warm lips to cut off the sad words. When he pulled back, he tipped up his lover’s chin. “Oak, never doubt I will love you all the days of your life. No matter what happens, that won’t change.” Then he smiled to break the somber mood. “Besides, you never know. I might be the one to get killed in battle. I’m immortal but not invulnerable.”
Groo didn’t return his smile. “That is almost as terrifying. I left my princess without shedding a tear. But if I lost your love, I fear it would destroy me.”
Angel drew him close and murmured, “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’ Lord Alfred Tennyson,” he clarified at Groo’s baffled look. “I’ll lend you the book when I get the chance.”
He drifted off to sleep and completely missed his partner’s puzzled response. “Book?”

TBC
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